MLP A New Generation 3: The Rise of Armored Hoof

by TwiShine45

Chapter 6

Author's Note:

Hey, guys! Are you ready for Armored Hoof's first song? It's a parody of a Ghost song that almost has the same title.

Enjoy!

Sunny recoiled in shock. She knew the name Astral Flare…but it was a name that a lot of Maretime Bay residents associated with corruption and fear. Long before the time of unity, before Sunny was even born, Astral Flare had committed crimes of an egregious nature; or, at least, so the stories went. Sunny remembered hearing tales as a schoolyard foal of how Astral had broken into bank after bank, retrieved all the contents, and vanished. Astral’s name had also been linked to a number of murders that had rocked the bayside community. The only trace of Astral’s involvement in the crimes was a small piece of paper with the name written on it.

No…, Sunny thought, …I couldn’t be…the daughter…of Astral Flare!

“Astral Flare?” She asked out loud.

Astral nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Oh, my little filly, I’m so excited to see that you’ve taken the mantle of friendship that Argyle and I always tried to pass on to everypony. You’ve done so well, my Sunny! You freed Equestria from Scarlet Wing’s steely grip! Why, you’re a bonafide hero, my dear!”

Sunny shrank back a bit. She suddenly wasn’t sure whether or not she could trust Astral. After all, the name rang so hollow in Sunny’s mind. The stories she’d heard whirled around and around, threatening to cut off the joy that had made its home in her heart. For a moment, she’d been so excited to meet her long lost mother. Now that same pony seemed to be such a heartless criminal. Sunny hoped against hope that she was wrong, that Astral Flare had been somepony respectable, and that all the stories were simple rumors. But, could she trust that hope? Could she have faith in somepony that she’d only heard tales of?

Certainly, her father had told her of her mother, but those had all been good stories. They were full of light and the love that true friendship brings. Argyle had always spoken of Sunny’s mother with absolute affection, never once connecting her with anything unsavory. But now that Astral Flare was standing right in front of her, Sunny suddenly felt mistrust and doubt. It tore into her soul that the pony claiming to be her mother could have, even remotely, done those things. Life began playing a different tune, and the dance Sunny had memorized turned to confusion and loss.

“…you…you’re Astral Flare,” Sunny sputtered.

“Yes, I am,” Astral responded, cocking her ears oddly, “but why do you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m the spawn of evil itself,” Astral said.

Sunny shook her head, trying to clear it. “Sorry,” she said, “it’s just…there are…stories about you.”

Astral looked down. “Oh,” she said in a voice that betrayed her hurt. “I thought they would have forgotten by now.”

“But, you were captured by Scarlet Wing, right?” Sunny asked. “That’s why you left Maretime Bay…because you were forced to.”

Astral nodded. “That’s right, my dear…well…partially right. I left Maretime to get away from the false accusations being levied against me.”

“False accusations?”

“Yes, terribly false accusations. Just because Argyle and I stood for friendship and the teachings of Twilight Sparkle, I was put through a social wringer of sorts. They came at me from all sides. The mayor accused me of cheating on Argyle with him. Store owners and citizens alike accused me of stealing from them, harming them, and even assaulting them. The last straw was when those two stallions turned up dead by the waterfront. Everypony pointed a hoof at me without a shred of evidence.”

“So, you left…and went someplace where they’d never go.”

Astral nodded again. “You’re right. I knew that the Maretime Bay forces were much too scared of the world outside to even attempt to follow. I’m so thankful for Argyle, though. He understood my plight…and promised to keep you safe. But I swore up and down that I’d come back to you someday, Sunny. Having to leave you was the most horrible decision I had to make, but I knew that if I didn’t, you wouldn’t have a mother at all. I’d much rather you grow up under Argyle’s wing, listening to the stories of friendship, then have you bathe in the shadow of a mother killed by unfounded assailments.”

Sunny looked deep into Astral’s eyes. There seemed to be trust there, but she still wasn’t sure. Astral could be telling the truth, or she could be lying to cover her own tail. For the moment, Sunny knew that it was best to keep Astral on her good side. Until she found out the absolute truth, Sunny needed Astral’s trust and support. But the light of happiness that burned inside of her had dampened a bit. Either the pony standing in front of her was the joyous reunion she’d always hoped for…or a corrupt criminal, perhaps even a secret Scarlet Wing operative, bent on destroying them all.

---

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Quarter was doing some deep thinking. His thoughts ran rampant with the pretty purple princess he’d fallen so desperately in love with. Rummaging through a trunk in his tent, he found one of the songs he’d written specifically for her. It was called “She Is,” and, though written from the third-pony point of view of a stranger, it carried his own romantic feelings. He flipped the paper back and forth in his hooves, loving the feel of it and remembering the first time he’d sang it for her.

It had been at one of the Summer Sun Celebrations long before Celestia and Luna retired. Armored Hoof had just released their third album, all about Twilight and her efforts for friendship. They played a regular show that night, to 55,000 ponies at Canterlot’s buckball stadium. The royals were all in attendance, and everything had gone beautifully. They’d gotten to debut a bunch of material from the album, but “She Is” still rang in Quarter’s head. Suddenly, in the middle of that tent, he began singing acapella:

He’s arrived here in Ponyville
He’s to see the great princess
The sisters of old Canterlot
Sent him here to fight distress

She is
She’s the friendliest pony
With a kind word for all
She is
She is love, she is life
Oh, the ponies, she enthralls
She is
Princess of Friendship, but so much more
She is

His heartbeat quickens as he sees
The royal mare arraigned in white
Her smile lights the darkest night
Within his heart and sets it right

She is
She’s the friendliest pony
With a kind word for all
She is
She is love, she is life
Oh, the ponies, she enthralls
She is
Princess of Friendship, but so much more
She is

She is
She’s the friendliest pony
With a kind word for all
She is
She is love, she is life
Oh, the ponies, she enthralls
She is
She’s the friendliest pony
With a kind word for all
She is
The glowing radiance that pulls them all to her
She is
Princess of Friendship, but so much more
And they are running over her battlements

One day, he thought with sudden determination, I will get to sing this song for you again, Twilight…in fact…I’ll get to sing them all…for everypony!

Comments

[Phetiamwantip]

Great parody song is sounded pretty catchy. Sunny will try to believe her. And this chapter is amazing, TwiShine45.